Car end construction.



P. M. HEARD.

CAR ENDCONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I6, 1915.

Patented May 1, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l MALA Q P. M. BEARD.

CAB END coNsmucTloN.

` APPLICATION FILED MAR16|1915 4,31 Patented May 1, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Mfr/ewes /m/Mw' HM M @Mm PAUL M. BEARD, OEfST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T AMERICAN CAR ANI) FOUN DRY COMPANY, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION 0F NEW J ERSEY-.-

'CAR END CONSTRUCTION.

' tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates generally to railway car construction, andspecifically to cer tain improvements in car end structures.

The characteristic feature of the invention is the formation of certain of the wall portions, notably the end plates and side plates adjacent the end plates, in such fashion that they coperate to form beam members which perform in the structure, functions of certain of the framing members now commonly employed.

The principal object of my invention .is to provide a constructionwhich will give the car superstructure increased strength at its end portions. Another object of my invY `tion is to provide aform of construction `for the end and corner portions of cars which may be manufactured cheaply, and which will ladmit of repairs being made therein at small expense.

A further object of my invention is to so form certain of the side platesand the end plates that they'will coperate to form corner posts.

A further object of my invention is to so form certain of the side plates and end plates that they will coperate to form'transverse framing members which will coperf ate to reinforce the end plates and brace the "corner posts in proper position.

Other and further objects will be pointed out hereinafter, or will be obvious upon an understanding of the construction.

It has become common practice to form certain of the side plates and end plates of railway cars of sheet metal, variously formed and secured together to provide the car walls. Likewise, it has become good practice to replace damaged ends of box cars with ends formed of plates of sheet metal, which are attached at their outer Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led March 16, 1915.

illustrating the construction Patented May 1, 1917.

serial No. 14,696.

margins to the corner posts and upper and lower framing members. of the car superstructure. One of the particulars in which such end structures have most frequently failed are the connections of the end plates to the car superstructure. It frequently occurs, when the metal ends are connected to the wooden corner posts, or even to the framing members such as the transom posts, that they have been torn loose from their connections, by violent thrust of the.car lading against their inner faces. The corner posts and transom posts are frequently broken or splintered, with the result that the entire superstructure of the car is weakened, and the car rendered unfit for service.

In vthe accompanying drawings, I have illustrated one form of my invention which is designed to obviate these and various other insufliciencies of the present structures,

Figure 1 being a front elevational view of a car 4end forming a portion of onef form of my invention;

Fig. 2 a cross section on line 2 2l of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 a side view;

Fig. 4 a detail, being a vertical section on line 4 4; of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 an enlarged detail taken from Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 a detail illustrating a vertical sec# tion of a modified form;

Fig. 7 a side detail view illustrating the connection between the wall 'sheets and underframe members;

, Fig. 8 a horizontal sectional detail through the corner and'through a transom or side post;

Fig. 9 is a front elevation detail illus* trating the construction at the `upper extremity of the corner post;

Fig. 10, another front elevation detail at the lower extremity of the corner ost;

Fig. 11, a plan detail illustrating the top connection between the end and side sheets.

The form illustrated in the drawing includes a first section 1 and a second section 2 of suitable sheet metal having their vertical margin; 4 turned rearwardly to form corners. Adjacent their meeting edges.' the sections have portions displacedk outwardly to form offset portions 5 -lying obi liquely to the plane of the sections.` The margins are deflected from the planes of the offset portions 5 to provide the connecting flanges 6. The displaced portions .connecting flanges 6 are carried around the eted to the sections along, the sides of the bead.

The numeral 8 represents side longitudinal framing members of the-car and secured along vertical lines to any proper vertical framing members, suchl as the transom posts. At their terminal ends adjacent the corners of the c ar, these side sheets 8 have their vertical margins shaped with a series of bends to form inset portions 9 and attaching flanges 10. These inset portions form, verticall extending channels adjacent the terminal edges of 'the sheets 8, which channels are located at the corners of the car in the position normally occupied by the corner posts. The vertical margins'fl of the end sheets overlap these channels at their rentrant sides, and cooperate therewith to form vertical tubular members at the. corners of the car, the side sheets and end sheets being secured together by vertical lines of fastenings' 11 seated in the Ar'narginal portions thereof on both sides of the inset portion 9.

In Figs. 7 to 11 inclusive is lillustrated the manner in which the parts are connected to the car framing. As is illustrated in Fig. 7, which is a detail showing a side view at thel lower edge of the corner, it will be seen that the end sheet 2 extends down behind the end sill 12 and is secured thereto by the rivets 12, the lower edge of the sheet 2 being flanged horizontally. The lower margin of the side sheet 8 extends down to lap the side sill 14, and is secured thereto by a line`of fastenings 14. At the top the side sheet 8 is riveted to the side plate 15 which is the form of` a Z bar or other suitable flanged member, and a stay cap 16 which is shaped to conform to the corner, is applied to the top of the tubular corner post, and is riveted t'o the upper horizontal flange of endl sheet 1, and also riveted to the vertical portions of sheets A tie plate maybe disposed across the inner side of this bead, and r1v-` sheets forming portions of the car walls and se- 1 cured at their upper and lower edges to Laaaaai structure by the angle joint member 17, op` erate to similarly brace the lower end of the corner and tubular corner. ost.

The tubular corner posts, eing thus firmly'l connected and braced at their upper and lower extremities to the r'amn members of the car, are further braced at t eir medial portion bythe beam member formed by the transverse beads 5, attaching flanges 6, and tie plate 7.

In Fig. 6, I have shown a modified arj rangement for joining sections l and 2, in which a `channel member Sisinterposed, being riveted to the attaching flanges 6.

This channel member forms a' rigid girth -across the end structure andconnecting'the tubular corner posts.' The beads 5 in this modified form, are formed similarly to those in the form. illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4. It will be noted that the bead is formed l broadest and highest at the center or median line of the sections and that it tapersin both widthjand height toward the corner margins. This is for the urpose of giving the greatest strength on t e median line of the sections where cargo thrusts would be likely to-do .the -greatest damage.- It will be `observed that this variation in width and height is due to the variation in the width of the offset portions. -When the section is thus flanged outwardly along its margin to form the oflsetportion 5, they adjacent margin of the section will not be straight, but the section 'will'ibe widest at its lateral margins and narrowest at its center. When the attaching flanges 6 are formed, however,

,the meeting .margins of the sections are made straight or brought into alinement by increasing the amount of material in the flange from the center to the side margins, the excess width of metal in the lateral portions being turned into the flange. Thus the flanges 6 are narrowest at the middle or median line and gradually increase in width/to the lateral margins. Thus where the most material is used in the offset portion 5, the least material is used in the flange 6, and vice versa. Hence, the meeting margins of the sections are made straight without necessitating shearing ofl" any of the material. Y

It will be obvious from the foregoing that my invention provides an exceptionally strong and stable end construction wherein the end and side sheets are so combined as to provide an exceedingly strong connection for the end sheets, and obviate the possibility of breakage of the corner osts by thrusts delivered against the end) sheets,

and in which the end sheets are combined 13a place to form a beam member which operates to prevent their being distorted, and to brace and stay the corner posts.

I am aware that the construction is capable of variations and modifications Without departing from the scope of the invention.

WVhat I claim is: v

1. In an end structure for cars, a pair of sheet metal sections juxtaposed and having their adjacent marginal portions shaped to provide offset beads and connecting flanges which unite on lines outside the plane of the sections to form a reinforcing member which is broadest and highest at the medial portion of the end structure and which tapers to thel lateral margins thereof.

2. In a car end, a pair of sheet metal sections having their meeting edges secured together and displaced to form a bead or corrugation having its greatest transverse width at the medial portion of the end structure and tapering in width to the outer margins thereof.

3. In a car end, a sheet metal section having a marginal portion shaped to form an offset bead and connecting flange, the bead Varying in width and height throughout its length for the purpose described.

4. In a car end, a sheet metal section having a dportion adjacent a margin thereof disto form an offset portion and an attaching flange, said oii'set'portion tapering in width from said margin throughout its length.

5. In a car end structure, the combination of end sheets and side sheets formed and connected together to provide tubular corner posts at their junction, side plates, and gusset plates connecting the side and end sheets and secured to the side plates.

6. AIn combination with the horizontal framing members of a car, end sheets and side sheets connected to said framing members and shaped and connected together to form tubular vertical framing members cooperating therewith, and gusset plates connecting the side and end sheets across ends of-such vertical framing members 7. In a car end structure, end and side sheets having their marginal portions, overlapped and secured together at the corners of the car to form tubular corner posts, said end sheets'having outwardly directed flanges extending around the outside of such corner posts.

8. In a car end structure, end sheets having their lateral margins deflected rearwardly from the plane of the end wall, and side sheets coperating with said deflected portions to form tubular corner posts, said end sheets having flanges extending around the outer sides of such corner posts and standing at an angle relative thereto.

9. In combination with horizontal framing members of a car, end sheets and side sheets secured to said framing members and to each other to provide tubular corner posts, said end sheets having horizontal flanges extending intermediate and about the outer sides of such corner posts.

10. In a car, side sheets having their terminal marginal portions bent to form a channel, and end sheets disposed with their marginal portions overlapping the marginal portions of the side sheetsand secured thereto to form tubular corner posts, said end sheets having outwardly extending flanges connecting the corner posts.

11. In a car end, a pair of sheet metall sections having their meeting margins secured together and having the portions adjacent said meeting margins displaced to form complementary offset portions Widest at the center and tapering toward the sides, and means tying said sections together across the rentrant sides of said offset portions.

12. In a car end, a pair of sheet metal sections having their meeting edges secured together and displaced together with portions adjacent thereto to form a corrugation disposed partially in each section, and tapering in width from its middle to its ends, and a plate secured to said sections at opposite sides of said corrugation and tying said sections together.

13. In a car structure, side sheets and end sheets having their lateral margins shaped and secured together to form corner posts, said end sheets being corrugated and flanged to form a transverse beam member extending from one of said corner posts to the other and merging at its extremities into the metal formin parts thereof to provide a transverse rein orcement connecting said posts. j

14. In a car end, a pair of sheet metal sections having their meeting edges conjoined and displaced, together withportions adjacent thereto, to form a corrugation disposed partially in each section, which corrugation tapers in width toward its extremities.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this eighth day of March, 1915.

PAUL M. BEARD. Vitnesses:

RODNEY BEDELL, OSCAR HOCHBERG. 

